When Yu Suzuki took the stage to announce a Kickstarter campaign for Shenmue 3 in 2015, the initial expected release date was December 2017. The campaign toppled its goal of $2 million (eventually reaching a Kickstarter video game record of $6.3 million), but was delayed into the second half of 2018. Now, it has been pushed back again.

In a statement released by publisher Deep Silver, the company announced Shenmue 3 will launch in 2019 for PlayStation 4 and PC.

The statement said the delay will allow developers extra time to “polish the game even further, to the high standards it deserves and release the product in the best possible timeframe.”

Creator Yu Suzuki also added his thoughts in the statement, specifically addressing the people who put money behind the game on Kickstarter.

“To all of our backers, we are very sorry for the delay,” Suzuki said. “After much discussion with our partners, Deep Silver, we have concluded that extending the release will allow us to deliver Shenmue III at its best.”

The original Shenmue was first released in 1999 on the Sega Dreamcast. Its sequel, Shenmue 2, released two years later. Together, the open-world action-adventure games captured the affections of gamers for their revenge plot, interactive environments and quirky nature. Shenmue 3 is expected to finally produce some closure for those who played through the first two games.

Ryan Bloom

Ryan Bloom is a writer and avid gamer from Orange County. He received a B.A. in Communications with a minor in American Studies from California State University, Fullerton in 2010. Follow him on Twitter @BloomsTweets.